Cigarettes and mildew. It was a distinct smell that I recognized from a friend's apartment I used to visit a lot when I was in college. I wondered for a moment if I had dreamed of getting the job with Alessandro, falling for him, and going to jail. I considered the possibility that I would wake up in my friend's shitty apartment after a night of studying for finals.

I opened my eyes, a dull throb behind them making me consider it was genuinely possible I’d drank too much ...